Thanks. You are the first person to suggest my time was worth while. I really did it for myself, for the reasons I stated. I'm already using this list and have decided to stick with just a few calibers. There are deals to be found, and many other factors to consider (like steel cases vs. brass, corrosive vs. non-corrosive, weight of bullet, powder/primer used, manufacturer, etc.) but my goal was to show some raw numbers so anyone could take a quick glance and have a good idea of what typical ammo by caliber might cost.

.22LR is obviously best overall value, that should be a lesson for everyone.

Sorry, didn't mean to seem ungrateful. I really appreciate the work. I browse frequently, do I know what my stuff usually runs, but for my friends looking to start shooting, this is a really good way to illustrate the cost differences for caliber.

...for my friends looking to start shooting, this is a really good way to illustrate the cost differences for caliber.

Me too, and thanks. I guess the bad thing for me is that I'm now shying away from considering a 7.62x39.

How's that new pistol of yours working out?

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"...show them your support for gun rights" says NRA's Shannon Alford, she continues that an email or a phone call is important, but nothing has a bigger impact than talking directly to your representative. “Your voice in Annapolis is your vote in Annapolis,” says Alford.

I don't know how you got that 12ga price. I pay max $5.49/25 that's 23cents each and often find 12ga at 4.99/25. 20ga is the same price as 12ga. 16ga, 28ga, .410 are more.

Thanks. I know what you mean, that's what I buy most too, because I use it for Trap and for 3 Gun shoots. I didn't list cheapest prices I found, I listed median prices from online ammo dealers to normal folks. There must be a lot of HD rounds that inflate to median price a bit. That's good stuff though

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"...show them your support for gun rights" says NRA's Shannon Alford, she continues that an email or a phone call is important, but nothing has a bigger impact than talking directly to your representative. “Your voice in Annapolis is your vote in Annapolis,” says Alford.

Ok, I decided to re-run the same drill that I did a year ago. I wanted to see for myself if using the same basic process (eliminating the odd rounds (like blanks and super exotics) finding the median price per round (not including shipping or tax) and using the www.gun-deals.com website, what would be the change. [see chart below for results]. I also took a look at ammo-engine, slickguns, and ammunition-to-go, and others. Price per round reflected is highly dependent on what is available at the moment of the survey; so take this data as is - a gross approximation. Your findings will vary. I'm just comparing apples to apples; using my very un-scientific method from 2011 and repeating it in 2012.

Here are some of my general conclusions.

- To find the best deals you really need to look at several sites.
- Cheapest price per round is not usually the best deal.
- Best deals are usually sale prices from dealers you already know and trust.
- Shipping cost is a significant factor, finding an online dealer nearer your home can save a lot.
- Your local Walmart will often beat on-line prices, even though you have to pay sales tax; but selection is greatly limited.
- BassPro and the like offer much better selection but are typically a little higher than Walmart and online bulk (500-1K) purchases.
- If you make a genuine 'bulk purchase' 5k+, you can get special rates even lower than those advertised, but you will have to call the dealer to inquire.
- Some on-line dealers cater more to the plinker, others to high-end defensive rounds.
- Because I basically just grabbed the 'middle' (median) price per round; there are some significant fluctuations; this data is just a quick snap-shot of the popular spectrum of ammo available.
- Generally I noticed only a very slight increase in the cost of the ammo I examined.
- Some ammo types seemed to go down slightly in price (i.e 357MAG and 300AAC BLKOUT).
- Some ammo types got more scarce (i.e. 5.7x28)
- Where as some ammo types seemed to genuinely increase, but only slightly in price per round (i.e. 5.56, 7.62x51/.308)- Bottom line: even though gun sales are breaking all time high records (this Black Friday expected to break another record); the cost of ammo has only marginally increased.

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"...show them your support for gun rights" says NRA's Shannon Alford, she continues that an email or a phone call is important, but nothing has a bigger impact than talking directly to your representative. “Your voice in Annapolis is your vote in Annapolis,” says Alford.

Federal firearms laws should conform to the states with lower crime rates, not higher crime rates.

Thus, the only inquiry that this Court should conduct is to determine whether the firearms prohibited by the Act are protected by the Second Amendment. Because they are, the Act is simply unconstitutional.

Thanks for the update. I would take exception at your analysis regarding "a very slight increase in the cost of the ammo". Looking at popular calibers (22, 9, 45, 5.56) shows 10%+ increases in price, far outstripping the general inflation of the US. I don't want this to turn into a big economy/politics/Obama debate, (although my armchair analysis says that buyer/seller thoughts about these things weigh heavily on those prices) just wanted to note this.

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-George
"I ride for the same reason dogs stick their heads out of car windows" -me
"I'm spooning a Barrett 50 cal. I could kill a building." --Archer

Thanks for the update. I would take exception at your analysis regarding "a very slight increase in the cost of the ammo". Looking at popular calibers (22, 9, 45, 5.56) shows 10%+ increases in price, far outstripping the general inflation of the US. I don't want this to turn into a big economy/politics/Obama debate, (although my armchair analysis says that buyer/seller thoughts about these things weigh heavily on those prices) just wanted to note this.